"Marine Bio to Double by 2030 Through Support for Mass Production and Commercialization of Materials"

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, 'Strategy to Seize the Global Marine Bio Market'

Only 1% Utilized Among 330,000 Marine Species... "Very High Potential for New Material Development"
Providing Graded Information on Key Marine Bioefficacies and Free Material Distribution
Supporting Testbeds for Core Material Mass Production Technology Development and Verification
Improving Approval Standards Considering Characteristics of Marine Materials
Establishing Marine Bio Specialized Hubs in the East, West, and South Sea Regions

Moon Sung-hyuk, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. (File photo)
Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The government has decided to support mass production and commercialization of materials to foster the marine bio industry, including the second and third generations of chitosan, omega-3, and marine collagen. Through this, the marine bio market, valued at 500 billion KRW in 2018, is planned to grow to about 1.2 trillion KRW by 2030.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 14th that it reported the "Global Marine Bio Market Preemption Strategy," containing these details, at the National Policy Coordination Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.

Marine bio refers to the bioindustry sector that produces products and services using materials developed from marine organisms. Marine organisms possess unique substances different from terrestrial organisms as they adapt to extreme environments such as high salinity and high pressure. According to the Biotechnology White Paper by the Ministry of Science and ICT, about 330,000 marine species are known, but only about 1% are utilized, indicating a high potential for developing new bio-materials in the future.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has prepared this 10-year strategy to preempt the global market through the establishment of a marine bioindustry foundation and innovation in research and development (R&D).

The core is expanding public information on marine bio materials and supporting mass production. According to a 2019 survey of marine bio companies, the main difficulties in commercialization cited were ▲lack of material information ▲difficulty in securing mass quantities ▲challenges in clinical trials and approvals.

First, the Ministry will provide graded information on the key efficacies of 3,000 marine animals, plants, and microorganisms through the Marine Bio Bank and distribute materials free of charge. It will also support the development of mass production technologies for core materials in high demand by the industry. Demonstration test sites and production facilities will be established to verify these technologies. For example, to produce a bio-adhesive using adhesive components extracted from mussels, adhesive proteins (materials) must be mass-produced; support for this technology and a venue to verify mass production technology will be provided.

Additionally, to overcome commercialization failures caused by difficulties in passing clinical trials and lack of production infrastructure after successful R&D, a support system for each industrialization stage will be established. To this end, the Ministry plans to improve approval standards considering the characteristics of marine materials in cooperation with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the first half of this year. Up to 1 billion KRW will also be provided for commercialization technology development funds.

Specialized marine bio hubs will be established in the East, West, and South Sea regions. In the West Sea region, a marine bio industrialization incubator will be established to provide infrastructure such as equipment and office space, as well as marketing and consulting services for small businesses. Support will be provided for marine bio companies to move into a cold chain specialized zone in the Incheon Port hinterland, and designation of a marine bio specialized complex will be pursued. The South Sea region, being the largest domestic seaweed production area, will be developed as a material supply base through support for bio-material clinical trials and establishment of mass production facilities. The East Sea region will be developed as a hub specialized in convergent research between bioindustry and other fields and foundational basic research, leveraging abundant existing research infrastructure.

R&D innovation will also be promoted. The main goal is to support excellent research outcomes to lead to commercialization by strengthening the participation of demanders in R&D and collaboration among expert groups. Specifically, a public-private consultative body involving the Korea Bio Association and the Marine Bio Society will be formed to enhance cooperation among experts through joint research, and participation of demanders such as companies will be expanded from the R&D planning stage. Furthermore, a win-win R&D system will be introduced to develop health and medical technologies by utilizing research outcomes in the food raw materials field through consortia between food companies and pharmaceutical/biotech companies.

Solutions to socially demanded issues through marine bio R&D will also be sought. Focus will be placed on developing marine environment improvement materials such as new materials replacing existing chemical products, biodegradable bioplastic fishing gear using seaweed, and marine microbial materials that can suppress harmful plankton.

Minister Moon Sung-hyuk of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said, "Meaningful results have begun to emerge in the marine bio field, such as developing a bio-adhesive that can close wounds without scarring using adhesive proteins from mussels," and added, "Based on this measure, we will actively foster the marine bio industry to establish it as a new national growth engine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.